North Carolina Center for Creative Retirement

University of North Carolina at Asheville LTOP Memory Book Class of 2007 “Leadership Develops Daily and Not in a Day” is what Twenty-Nine dynamic older adults learned as they dedicated themselves to becoming stronger community leaders by participating in Leadership Training for Older Persons (LTOP) at the NC Center for Creative Retirement this past summer. For those not in the know, LTOP is a free public program for adults age 50 or better. It is funded and coordinated by the NC Center for Creative Retirement at the University of North Carolina Asheville. LTOP is intended to help older adults become comfortable voicing their views on issues and taking a more active role as community leaders. Over 6 weeks, participants developed hands on skills in leading groups, running meetings, team building and public speaking, project planning and much more. Participants continued their work after class by putting their new skills into practice by working on community projects. This past year the NC Center for Creative Retirement celebrated its 20th anniversary with a theme for the year long celebration as the Year of Health and Wellness. As a reflection of this theme, LTOP focused on building leadership skills in the area of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Participants came from all parts of Western North Carolina to learn the skills necessary to be strong community leaders. Participants included preachers, community volunteers and advocates, artist, retired military personal, healthcare workers, social workers, librarians, teachers, business owners, and office administrators. A common thread held together this diverse group - a desire to see positive change in our community through strong leadership. We invite you to read through our book of memories as we reflect on what we learned and accomplished. Sincerely

Patti Cameron Patti Cameron, LTOP Coordinator

Thank You to Our Dedicated Volunteer Teachers LTOP would not be a reality without the volunteer support of the very talented members of the NC Center for Creative Retirement, UNCA faculty and our community at large. There are very few leadership programs in our nation that focus on giving older adults, especially under-served adults, the skills they need to have their voices heard. So often older adults opinions are overlooked even in programming for their benefit. LTOP was developed to reverse this trend. We thank the following speakers for volunteering of their time and talents to make LTOP Class of 2007 such a success.

We thank NCCCR member Jacque Morgan and her team of experienced facilitators: Dough Agor, Darlene Colemar, Perien Gray and Jody Agor teaching us the essential traits to being a successful leader. Jacque, an adult educator by profession, has worked for the public school system as an Executive Director of Community Education. and also the Dean of Business & Industry Educuation in the Minnesota State Technical System. At NCCCR we know her as a past Vice Chair of the CSC Stirring Council, Chair of CFS Curriculum Committee, Co-Chair of the Community Outreach Committee, Co-Chair of the College For Seniors, and various committee assignments. This is the second year that Jacque has volunteered her time and talents to LTOP. She really embodies the spirit of community leadership.

Bill Bailey, NCCCR member, came to us with a magical wand and big red nose to teach us how to coordinate community projects. Bill and his wife participated in the 5th City project in Chicago in the 1970’s. Through his many experiences he and his wife have developed a hands on approached to solving community issues.

How does one make the scariest thing on the planet (public speaking) fun and interesting ? You call in NCCCR member Cleve Mathews to tackle the problem. Cleve Mathews came to us with more experience than I ever imagined. Cleve was NPR's first news director, where he helped create the program "All Things Considered" along with many other accomplishments in journalism.

Don C Locke taught us about the Giraffe and the Elephant in his talk “Increasing Multicultural Understanding”. Don has volunteered his skills for the past two years with LTOP. Don is a distinguished professor emeritus at NC State University and retired Director of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs.

This is the second year that John Huie has volunteered his skills to LTOP. Each year he brings us together to teach team building and help us to get to know each other as human beings and not just classmates. We thank him for his support and making LTOP so much fun. John came to us via the Environmental Leadership Center at Warren Wilson College were he served as director. This past year John has stated a new business as an Educational Consultant specializing in giving guidance and assistance to parents of troubled teens. He also serve as a Life Coach for teenagers and young adults, parents and families, and organization leaders.

Beth Lazer helped us embrace the “meeting” and make it work for us. A special thank you goes to Beth for founding LTOP & her continued mentorship to the program. Beth has served as chair of the Center for Creative Retirement Steering Committee, the Leadership Asheville Forum, the League of Women Voters, and her church’s Board of Trustees. She currently chairs the Buncombe County Senior-Friendly Community Planning Task Force.

Community Support Dedicated to ensuring that older adults are empowered to make a positive change in our community the following community groups, individuals and agencies have supported LTOP by lending of their volunteers and paid staff.

Creative Retirement Speakers •

Governor’s Advisory Group: David Herbert

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Mountain Area American Red Cross:David Herbert

UNCA

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Care Partners: Kathy Osborne

Jesse Ray: Special Assistant to the Chancellor representing the Chancellor at our graduation ceremony.

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Aging Coordinating Consortium: Marian Sigmon

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The Health Adventure: Myra Lynch & Jenny

Kathy Garbie: Associate Professor of Health and Wellness UNCA for assisting with planning and class projects. Recruitment Assistance: •

Area Agency on Aging

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Land-of-Sky Regional Council

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Western Alliance for Independent Living

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Extension Services of Transylvania County

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Asheville Housing Authority

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United Way (Buncombe, Henderson & Transylvania)

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Haywood Community Connections

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The Council on Aging of Buncombe County

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City of Asheville, Parks & Recreation

Mercier •

Land of-Sky Regional Council: Rebecca Chaplin

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Buncombe Co. Health Center: Gaylen Ehrlichman

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Buncombe Co. Medical Society: Althea Gonzalez & Linda Kinney

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Asheville Police Department: Captain Tim Splain

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Mediation Center: Megan Leschak

Planning/Mentoring •

Community Education Committee

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Fred Myers: Guidance & Photography

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Beth Lazer: Guidance

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Ron Manheimer: Executive Director, NC Center for

Kathie Garbie & Fred Myers

What Makes a Good Leader

Day 1

Jacque Morgan and her group of facilitators got us started by teaching us the characteristics and traits of a good leader. By the end of the day we were able to define what kind of leaders we wanted to be. Traits of a Leader •

Commands respect, is respected and respects others.

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Has a planned vision and goals

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Empowers others through delegation

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Decisive and leads by example

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Able to get buy-in from others

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Involves all in the process & gets people to work together

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Flexible and adaptable

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Creditable & knowledgeable

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Control: Keeps the group on track

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Communication: Clear & Concise

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Shows appreciation

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Shares the floor & accepts suggestions from others

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Intuitive: Able to read the mood of the group

Bettie Council Presenting Her Groups Leadership Flag

The Health of Our Community Gaylen Ehrlichman from the Buncombe County Health Department set the stage for our understanding of the health challenges of our community by presenting to us Buncombe County Community Health Assessment 2005. In Buncombe County we learned that... • 23% of our population doesn’t engage in physical activity • 15% of Senior didn’t get dental care last year mostly due to cost • 30% of Seniors reported signs of depression in the past month • Only 77% of the general population had a checkup in the past year • 30% do not currently have a physician due to the costs • The number of uninsured continues to rise

“The World Café” was a new experience in group facilitation. Our topic for discussion was: “If you had three wishes to make your community a senior healthy community what would it be? What would you improve, create or change?” Our results were given to the Asheville Aging Coordinating Consortium representatives Larry Hass and Beth Lazer (NCCCR Members) to contribute to our counties Aging Plan.. Here are our results: We wish for …...…. •

Sidewalks that are safe, walkable, especially for mobility scooters.

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More ramps for people who need them in our community and downtown.

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Better public transportation

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Improved and reliable Mountain Mobility

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Affordable mental, medical and dental care

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Free neighborhood based health screening

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Medical Equipment Lending Centers

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Senior Counseling

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More opportunities for senior employment

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Affordable Housing

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Public housing to be a safer place for all to live.

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More Minor Home Repair

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More Senior Centers, especially in the county

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More funding for senior services and social engagement opportunities

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Better community dog control

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Less senior fraud

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More safety and security- More cops on the beat.

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Safer and happier community

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Downtown (Prichard Park) was cleaner and safer

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Affordable cafeteria for downtown

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More Grocery and Pharmacy Delivery

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More information: Asheville is a work in progress for seniors living with a need for programs for social engagement/activities. There are some good things going on but they can be hard to find

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Better recycling facilities

Leadership In Community

Day 2 work, tools, teams, leaders, food, celebration and opening/closing ceremonies •

Plan the publicity: Radio, TV, newspaper before and after the event

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Plan the budget and the source of money or donated goods. ORCHESTRATING THE WORKDAY

THE CALL – Make sure all persons are reminded of the day and time and the leaders know their exact assignments. Arrive Early. Bill Bailey had us learning how to organize a community workday. Here is some of his good advice. GETTING READY •

Decide the purpose, date & name of your workday!

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What do you want to accomplish and how will you accomplish it?

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Seek advice from appropriate community members on your ideas for a workday.

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Find a committed core of people who will take responsibility for its success.

ORGANIZATION: •

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Plan a recruitment campaign. Involve as many people from as many sectors of the community as possible. This will build community spirit.

THE BEGINNING – Have everyone gather at a central location. Begin with a song or a brief speech. Divide the work into working teams with a leader and clear assignments. THE WORK- Have all supplies and tools ready so that the teams can work to their maximum effect. Have snacks and lunches for everyone. THE CELEBRATION Report on the accomplishments, the discoveries, and the promise for the future. End with a party! TYING UP THE ENDS- Receive detailed reports from the team leaders on what they accomplished. Clean up and receive all supplies back. Write and report on your accomplishment and share it with the community. Lastly- Thank everyone involved!

Plan the day’s program and all the details: Paper-

Learning to Speak in Public with Courage & Grace Public Speaking has always been one of our most challenging topics to conquer. With the help of Cleve Mathews we met the challenge with “Courage & Grace”. Many wonderful personal stories were shared as we practiced the tricks of the trade that Cleve was able to share with us.

Living a Healthy Life with a Chronic Condition Rebecca Chaplin from the Land-of-Sky Regional Council—Area Agency on Aging taught the principles of the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP). CDSMP is a program that teaches coping skills for chronic illness through patient centered action plans. Many of the LTOP students have gone on from this session to participate in the train-the-trainer program so they may teach these practical skills to others throughout our community

Exercise Your Mind & Your Body Jenny Mercer and Myra Lynch from the Health Adventure spoke to us on the importance of exercise to our physical fitness and our mental health. The training was intended to help the students become advocates of health and fitness to their peers.

LTOP Community Health & Wellness Projects This past year the NC Center for Creative Retirement celebrated its 20th anniversary. The theme for the year long celebration was the Year of Health & Wellness. Community Leaders spoke to the LTOP class to discuss possible community projects that would reflect this

Former LTOP Graduate David Herbert presented a project to create a PSA (Public Service Announcement) for the Governors Advisory Council. As a dedicated volunteer with the Mountain Area Red Cross, he also presented to us the Vials of Life program. Everyone in our group participated at some level in the Vials of Life Program. Thank you Dave for being such a great road model

Kathy Garbie Associate Professor of Health & Wellness presented 3 opportunities to participate and plan intergenerational community projects with her students. 1.Senior Health Fair 2.Wellness Activities for Seniors in Asheville Program (WASA), 3.Intergenerational Dance and Fashion Show. The Health Fair was a huge success.

Marian Sigman from the ACC (Aging Coordinating Consortium) spoke to us on how to get involved in your community by sitting on the board of the ACC. The ACC oversees the areas Aging Plan and designation of Community Block Grant funds. Ours ideas from the World Café contributed to the ACC aging plan.

Kathy Osborne from Care Partners taught us how to start a walking group. Many LTOP students coordinated speaking events for the mall walkers program on health issues.

Day 3

Increasing Multicultural Understanding

Day 4

Don Lock lead us in a very energetic discussion on issues of multiculturalism in our community. He taught us the importance of understanding each others perspective based on how each individual has experienced the world we live in. As he says “We all see the world through our own filters”. To successfully launch a community project, it is important to understand this principle and not shy away from inviting everyone to the table because of differing viewpoints. It will be these different viewpoints that will make your project a success.

Ways to Make Meetings Work for Everyone Beth Lazer came to us to teach the way to have a successful meeting. Here are her Ten Commandments for Meeting Facilitators 1. Never try to make other people exactly like you: one is enough 2. Be organized 3. Be non judgmental. Never judge another's needs or refuse your consideration solely because he/she causes trouble. 4. Don’t give people excuses. Allow individuals to own their own conduct and its consequences. 5. Try to help everyone be active listeners and tough-minded decisions makers 6. Respect individuals who are pursuing knowledge. 7. Don’t expect to come up with perfect solutions or miracles. 8. Build relationships among team members. 9. Keep your sense of humor. 10. Don’t take yourself too seriously.

Gang Violence Megan Leschak Youth Program Director with The Mediation Center and Captain Tim Splain Criminal Investigations with the Asheville Police Department tackled the issues of the gang violence. We learned how to identify gang members, tagging and why so many young people are drawn into gangs. Lastly we learned about prevention programs. Gang violence is a important health issues as it effects our sense of community, security, well being and overall health.

Team Building

Day 5

John Huie is always one of our favorite speakers. He has a way, as you can see from the pictures, to let us have some fun while learning. We broke down barriers by using our creativity to build an effective team. John also took the time to discuss issues of diversity. We had honest discussions of personal challenges as we discovered we all had something to learn for each other.

Buncombe County Medical Society Althea Gonzalez,a long term supporter of LTOP, came to us to speak on the issues of health and health care for minorities in our community. She introduced us to PACE (Parity Achievement, Community Empowerment) a program of the Buncombe County Medical Society that focuses on direct health assessment and treatment as well as the many socioeconomic influences on health outcomes.

Linda Kinney spoke to us on Project Access an innovative physician volunteer initiative, providing access to comprehensive medical care for low-income, uninsured Buncombe County residents. Through Project Access, physicians and community partners donate their services to patients without receiving reimbursement or compensation. Project Access is not health insurance. It is, however, a way to help our community members stabilize their health so that health insurance is more attainable.

Graduation Day!

A pat on the back for a job well done!

Guest Speaker Jesse Ray, Special Assistant to the Chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, along with Ron Manheimer, Executive Director of NC Center for Creative Retirement, addressed the LTOP graduating class of 2007 with speeches to inspire and congratulate!

Day 6

Community Projects Completed Vials of Life LTOP graduates are helping those who can’t speak for themselves in a medical emergency by distributing Vials of Life to underserved communities. A simple but powerful project in conjunction with the American Red Cross, the Vials of Life saves thousands of lives across the county everyday. Participants included Brenda DeLaCruz, Joan Martinez, Minnie Jones, Dorothy Oglesby, Martha Ligon, Marjorie Maxwell, and Dorothy Herbert Haywood County Happenings Azad and Margret Husnian are working with Haywood Community Connections to identify unmet needs in the community and collect cell phones for use for 911 for those that qualify. Teaching Assertiveness Skills to Cancer Patients Margie Schutte and Marilyn Hastings taught a class of approximately 20 cancer patients at the Hopes Women Cancer Center at their monthly evening support program. They presented principles of assertive communication as an essential to health & well being.

Room at the Inn Aviva Bruyer coordinated ‘Room at the Inn” at her church, ensuring that homeless women had the food, and shelter that they needed for survival and good health. Care Partners Mall Walkers Program John Martin used his legal background to organize an End of Life Legal presentation to the participants of the walking programs. Living Well Health Fair Kathy Garbie Associate Professor of Health & Wellness along with her undergraduate students organized with the assistance of numerous LTOP graduates a well attended and successful Senior Health Fair.

Projects in Brevard Kathy Thorpe participated in the planning of the Active Aging Week Sept 24-Oct 1st in conjunction with Council on Aging and Land-ofSky Regional Council. She also participated in the Community Issues Forum where she taught local leaders how to use the World Café as a way to run their meetings. They loved it and said it was the first time they covered so much in so little time and enPathfinders Willie Mae Edgerton project is to work joyed themselves. Another Brevard girl, Shirley Shuswith the Pathfinders within her church. Pathfinders ter, is assisting with the Mental Healthy Advocacy is a coed program for young people ages 10 -16 that Group in Brevard. emphasizes community service, outdoor learning, craft skills and Bible study. Assisting Homebound Seniors Sallie Twitty and Helen Featherstone both picked Community Garden Carolyn Brown has gone on projects to help seniors become healthier. Sallie is to help create a community garden at Bartlett Arms helping homebound elderly by driving them to apto ensure residents at this public housing neighborpointments and grocery shopping. Helen is ensuring hood have access to fresh produce while strengthenhomebound seniors are getting decent meals at least ing their sense of community through the joys of gar3 times a week. She is also helping to educate them dening. on nutrition by taking them to the Farmers Market. Living a Healthy Life with a Chronic Condition In all, Helen is ensuring that they get the help they need to pay rent, afford food and medications. (CDSMP)CDSMP is a program that teaches coping skills for chronic illness through patient centered acHandy Tips for a Healthy You! Norma Poore took tion plans. Many of the LTOP students have gone on it upon herself to write a book on how to be healthy. from this session to participate in the train-theShe included topics from healthy eating to avoiding trainer program so they may teach these practical chemicals in your household. In all she printed 60 skills to others throughout our community. They incopies and distributed to her fellow church members. clude: Louise Chase, Mary Churney, Willie Mae More to Come! There are many more projects that Edgerton, Marilyn Hastings, Dorothy Herbert, Marjorie Linden, John Martin, Norma Poore, Norma are still in progress that we were not able to report at Sue Reddick, Betty Sams, Shirley Shuster, and Kathy the time of this publication. We apologize if we missed anyone. Thorpe.

NC Center for Creative Retirement at UNCA Reuter Center, CPO #5000, UNC Asheville, One University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804-8516 828/251-6140 · Fax 828/251-6803 · www.unca.edu/nccccr/ For more information on LTOP please contact Patti Cameron at 828-251-6198 or email at [email protected]